Gotcha!!

Wow what a day!  For so long I wondered how it would go but it went just as I expected after reading about so many other's "gotcha" experiences.  We had the morning to rest and get ready, which was great because we were so exhausted from the first couple days of touring and all the traveling.  When it was time to go, we loaded up in a van and headed to the adoption office.  I was anxious but not too bad, excited but so ready.

As we pulled up to the office, my mom started saying, "why are those two little girls almost in the road!?"  I look up and saw a little girl basically stepping onto the road before being scooped up and mom then says "That's them, I think it's them!"  We got out of the van and looked and indeed there were two little girls dressed so cute in pink with a few adults; we recognized them as our girls.  We went over and as our guide was talking to them, the nanny tried to hand her to me but Mia Jade would not let go of her nanny, she wanted no part of me.  But I expected that.  Quickly, our guide took us up to the office and we started on some paperwork.  They also brought us a bag of our girls things.  In Mia's bag were the items that I sent in a care package through Ann with Red Thread (my first care package obviously never made it).  There were split pants, hand knitted items including a brand new sweater that someone made for her, and the shirt that she was wearing in her updated photos.  Then a few minutes later they brought up the two girls.  Mia Jade was handed to me, this time being held by another girl but reluctantly let me take her.  (It turned out that this girl was the orphanage director's daughter and did not care for Mia Jade so there was no attachment there).  To say she was wary is an understatement.  She had a very neutral look, taking it all in, for several minutes.  The other little girl, handed off by the nanny (I later found out this lady was the orphanage director, not the nanny), started screaming immediately.  

The not so happy part

Mia Jade looked frozen and scared to death.  After a few minutes, she took a cracker from me and some juice and occasionally would look at me from the corners of her eyes.  The room was so warm with no ac, just an open window and a small fan (no screen, on the third floor).  It was going pretty well until the she looked at Naomi crying and also saw the nanny again.  Then the screaming.  It was hard but expected.  Finally we got all the paperwork done, took our official photo and we were quickly ushered out.  Mia Jade settled down for the ride and looked so tired.  She even leaned her head down against my chest to rest.   When we got back to the hotel, we realized that when I ran into the hotel room the last minute before we left, that I laid down the key and couldn't get in...we had to wait for housekeeping to open the door.  (Good move Kelly!)

At the office where we received her

But we got in, changed our clothes (she spit up on my and her in the office from crying so hard), got her daily schedule from our guide then I put her down on the bed with some stacking cups.  She went to town entertaining herself.  She stacked and unstacked, stacked and unstacked, nibbled on some snacks and would peek up at us every so often.  At one point my mom tickled the bottom of her foot and she giggled...our first glimpse of a smile.  After a while, she started to interact with us by handing us things and then taking them back.  Then a little more eye contact.  I gave her juice and helped her with the cup and there was a look of "okay, you're helping me out, you might be okay".  We sat on the bed and the interactions grew.  I offered her something, I can't remember what and she shook her head no and I laughed.  She looked up at my laughter and shook her head no again and I laughed again.  And again, this time her laugh was included....then it was on!  She would shake her head, we would laugh and she would laugh.  What a feeling!  This photos below were taken during her laughter.

Back at the hotel room 

Wow what a face of joy!  

After awhile, we got some room service; rice for her and burger and fries for mom and me (we had not seen any option for a burger anywhere until here!).  She started to eat the rice and after a few bites I handed her a french fry.  That was about it for the rice, she then only wanted the fries from then out!  Finally as it was getting late, I got her into some footy pajamas and she look at us like 'what is this contraption?', took a bottle and drifted off to sleep.  All in all, I could not have asked for a better "gotcha day"!  Well worth the wait!!